Brian. Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 The Tenth Circle sounds really interesting and its something I that I probably wouldn't read personally but your review has me intrigued. I will have to keep an eye out for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted May 1, 2012 Author Share Posted May 1, 2012 I'm glad you enjoyed this book. Like you I found many parts disturbing but thought provoking It was a very good book and it was enjoyable, but at the same time disturbing. Glad you liked it too. The Tenth Circle sounds really interesting and its something I that I probably wouldn't read personally but your review has me intrigued. I will have to keep an eye out for it. Its very good, it wasnt too fluffy or anything like that, just a very good book. I hope you enjoy it if you do read it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted May 1, 2012 Author Share Posted May 1, 2012 freebies for the weekend The Secret Diary of a Single Mum - Katherine Williams Broken Crystal: The Betrayal of Britain - Jack Norman Do You Believe in Ghosts? - Bob Blick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 A Flicker of Light - Roberta Kagan Started - 22/4/12 Finished - 6/5/12 Format - Kindle e-book Synopsis - In 1935, the Nazi's established a program called “The Lebensborn.” Their agenda, to genetically engineer perfect Aryan children. These children were to be the new master race, once HItler had cleared all undesirable elements out of Europe. Within a year the first institution was built. The year is 1943.... The forests of Munich are crawling danger under the rule of "The Third Reich," but in order to save the life of her unborn child Petra Jorgenson must escape from the Lebensborn Institute. Alone, seven months pregnant, and penniless avoiding the watchful eyes of the armed guards in the overhead tower, she waits until the dead of night. Then, Petra climbs under the flesh shredding barbed wire that surrounds the institute and at the risk of being captured and murdered she runs headlong into the terriying desolate woods. Even during one of the darkest periods in the history of mankind, when horrific acts of cruelty became commonplace and Germany seemed to have gone crazy following the direction of a madman, unexpected heros came to light. And although there were those who would try to destroy it, true love would prevail. Here, in this lost land ruled by human monsters, Petra will learn that even when one faces what appears to be the end of the world if one looks hard enough one will find that there is always "A Flicker Of Light." My Thoughts - I downloaded this book as it was free for a day on Amazon and Nazi Germany is a subject that I am interested in. I had never heard of The Lebensborn program and to me this was really horrible thing to have ever happened. This book is about Petra who escapes the Lebensborn programme despite being a fair few months pregnant. She goes through the German countryside in the hope of being able to find her way home, but ends up at a farmhouse where a couple have never been able to have children. They take her in and start to live as a family. Meanwhile, a young doctors apprentice, finds his life falling apart when the persecution of the Jewish people began. He has to leave his home with the fear of being caught and he also has to try and find somewhere safe. He comes across the same farm that Petra is living and from here on in its when the trouble starts. This book goes into detail of how cruel the SS officers were at times and one of the scenes in this book is very disturbing, it was very difficult reading but I'm sure that this kind of event actually happened. Also the scenes of the concentration camps were described in great detail which at times was quite difficult reading. I did think that the book moved along a little too smoothly, for example when Petra turned up at the farm, she didnt really seem to be bothered about staying there and this was just accepted. Overall a very good book, one for fans of historical fiction, this was good. Rating = 3.5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted May 8, 2012 Author Share Posted May 8, 2012 I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith Started - 26/4/12 Finished - 7/5/12 Format - Paperback Book Challenges - BCF May Reading Circle BBC Top 200 Books 1001 Childrens Books You Must Read Ultimate Teen Book Guide Challenge World Book Night 2012 Longlist Challenge Synopsis - 'I write this sitting in the kitchen sink' is the first line of this timeless, witty and enchanting novel about growing up. Cassandra Mortmain lives with her bohemian and impoverished family in a crumbling castle in the middle of nowhere. Her journal records her life with her beautiful, bored sister, Rose, her fadingly glamorous stepmother, Topaz, her little brother Thomas and her eccentric novelist father who suffers from a financially crippling writer's block. However, all their lives are turned upside down when the American heirs to the castle arrive and Cassandra finds herself falling in love for the first time... My Thoughts - This book was the choice for the May reading circle on the BCF. This book was on my list of books that I've always wanted to read but never got around to. I'm so glad that I have finally read this book. This book is about a seventeen year old girl called Cassandra who lives in a castle with her father, step-mother, brother and sister. Also Stephen lives their too, the son of their former maid. Her father once wrote a novel that was very well known and because of this they were quite rich, but sadly he has not been able to write anything else since. Her step mother Topaz used to be a model in London, but stays in the castle now that hard times have fallen. Her Brother Thomas is a typical boy, still in school. Her sister Rose is a typical older sister, but all she wants to do is find a rich man and fall in love, and in that order too. Now Stephen. He is hopelessly in love with Cassandra, but sadly the feeling is not reciprocated. The castle that they live in is owned by two American brothers, who visit the castle unexpectedly one night, and this visit paves the way for life changing events. The rich brothers want to help the family in as many ways as possible. I found Roses attitude towards love quite difficult to get around. All she wanted to do was find a rich man to marry, and while this could have been considered normal at the time the book is set, nowadays it does seem a bit silly. I didnt see what would end up happening to her in the end coming and I really thought that this made the book. I also enjoyed the fathers struggle with trying to find the words to write a second book. At times, he seems to be loosing his mind, but in the end Cassandra and Thomas manage to hatch a plan to force him to write a book again. I did find the parts with Stephen in it so upsetting in times. He was totally and utterly in love with Cassandra and it seemed that he would never love anyone else like that. Also, when he left the castle to go to London and said he would never come back. I just found that so sad. Now Cassandra. I loved her. I loved her innocence, but at the same time I loved how grown up she was. I loved seeing the world through her eyes. This book is fantastic, and I'm not just saying that. Its one of my favourite books of all time now and I will be definitaly be revisiting this book. Rating - 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 Apocalypse Cow - Michael Logan St arted - 7/5/12 Finished - 11/5/12 Format - Paperback Book Synopsis - When scientists with warped imaginations accidentally unleash an experimental bioweapon that transforms Britain's animals into sneezing, bloodthirsty zombies with a penchant for pre-dinner sex with their victims, three misfits become the unlikely hope for salvation. Abattoir worker Terry Borders' love life is crippled by the stench of death that clings to his skin from his days spent slaughtering cows; teenage vegan Geldof 'Scabby' Peters alternates between scratching furiously at his rash and baiting his overbearing New Age mother; and inept journalist Lesley McBrien struggles forlornly in the shadow of her famous war correspondent father and the star journalist at the Glasgow Tribune. When Britain begins a rapid descent into chaos and ministers cynically attempt to blame al-Qaeda, Lesley stumbles upon proof that the government is behind the outbreak. During her bumbling quest to unveil the truth, she crosses paths with Terry and Geldof, and together they set out to escape a quarantined Britain with the evidence and vital data that could unlock a cure for the virus. Standing in the way are rampaging hordes of animals, a ruthless security agent and an army ready to shoot anybody with a case of the sniffles on the off-chance the virus has mutated. Three losers. Overwhelming odds. A single outcome: the world is screwed. My Thoughts - I was sent this book by the publishers, Transworld in exchange for a review. Now although this book isnt my usual genre, when I read the synopsis I really had to read it. This book is about several unlikely heroes who need to try and get out of Britain as the animals are turning into bloodythirsty zombies. There is Geldof, who is born to hippy parents and is a vegetarian. However, as a teenage boy he is none to happy about this and craves meat. Their is Lesley, a journalist, although not a very good one who is the daughter of a high profile journalist and wants to prove herself. Lastly there is Terry, an abattoir worker who is one of the first to come across the virus in its horrific form. Together they must work together to get the proof out of the country and the formula to develop a vaccine. One of the main concerns throughout the book is can the virus spread from animals to humans? And what would happen if it did. Now I am not a fan of zombies at all, to be honest the idea of them scare me and I don't always enjoy zombie books. Now this was good. There is a bit of Zombie theme in the book, but not enough to be scary. This was a very good twist on the very much overdone zombie genre. This book is very very good. It has all different themes to it. It is very funny in places some parts of the book had me laughing out loud. For example when Geldof is having his teenage fanasties about his next door neighbour. Also it is quite a sexual book, so probably not one to lend out to youngsters, but very good for a more adult audience. At the same time, parts are quite gruesome and upsetting, but this is to be expected from a book like this. The overall thing that struck me was if this really happened the world would be screwed, Britain is a tiny little island and we could just be cut out from the rest of the world which was a bit of a scary thought. The ending of the book was left open a bit so I'm hoping that their could be a sequal in the future, I would definitaly read it. This book is seriously good, I would highly recommend it and would say . . . Read it Rating - 4.5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I've been so swamped with stuff that I never finished last month's RC book and I haven't read the RC book for this month either However, reading your review of I Capture the Castle, I thought it must be a really great book and I went and borrowed it from the library. My mojo's been AWOL this week, so who knows, I might not get to actually reading it, but I just wanted to post and say you've inspired me to give it a go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted May 12, 2012 Share Posted May 12, 2012 I've added Apocalypse Cow to my Wishlist. The premise makes it sound a bit silly, but it has plenty of good reviews so it must be good! Sounds like a fun read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted May 13, 2012 Author Share Posted May 13, 2012 I've been so swamped with stuff that I never finished last month's RC book and I haven't read the RC book for this month either However, reading your review of I Capture the Castle, I thought it must be a really great book and I went and borrowed it from the library. My mojo's been AWOL this week, so who knows, I might not get to actually reading it, but I just wanted to post and say you've inspired me to give it a go I know that feeling, why does life get in the way of the fun stuff sometimes? I hope you love I Capture the Castle as much as I did, it really is fantastic! I hope your mojo comes back too its awful when it disappears. Yay I'm so pleased I've inspired you to read the book too I've added Apocalypse Cow to my Wishlist. The premise makes it sound a bit silly, but it has plenty of good reviews so it must be good! Sounds like a fun read. Apocalypse Cow is really good, I have to say the synopsis doesnt really do it justice, the book is so much better and not as silly as the premise makes it out to be! I hope you enjoy it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 three new books for my kindle Stairlift to Heaven - Terry Ravenscroft Year 50 - Geoff Bluske Around the World in 80 Days - Jules Verne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 Twilight - Stephenie Meyer Started - 11/5/12 Finished - 22/5/12 Format - Paperback Book Challenges - 1001 Childrens Books You Must Read Synopsis - When 17 year old Isabella Swan moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father she expects that her new life will be as dull as the town. But in spite of her awkward manner and low expectations, she finds that her new classmates are drawn to this pale, dark-haired new girl in town. But not, it seems, the Cullen family. These five adopted brothers and sisters obviously prefer their own company and will make no exception for Bella. Bella is convinced that Edward Cullen in particular hates her, but she feels a strange attraction to him, although his hostility makes her feel almost physically ill. He seems determined to push her away - until, that is, he saves her life from an out of control car. Bella will soon discover that there is a very good reason for Edward's coldness. He, and his family, are vampires - and he knows how dangerous it is for others to get too close. My Thoughts - This was the first time that I had read this book, although at times it did feel that I was the only person in the world that hadnt. I was put off by all the hype that surrounded the book when it came out (Team Edward, Team Jacob, etc!) and it really put me off it. So now I decided to pick it up now and give it a go. I have already seen the film of the book, so unfortunatly I was comparing the book to the film as it went along, something that I hate doing! This book is about Bella (Isobella) Swan who moves to Forks to live with her Dad who is the Chief. Its here that she tries to make a new life, something that she isnt looking forward to at all. She attends the local high school and makes some friends. She also captures the attention of Edward, a boy who she just can't seem to understand in the slightest. It seems that Edward just plain dislikes Bella to start with, to the point that he tries to change classes to avoid having to be near to her. But when Edward saves her life, it becomes apparent that they cannot stay away from each other, much to Edwards horror. Soon it seems that Edward is hiding something and Bella finds out what it is. Edward is a vampire, along with the rest of his family, Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper. Bellas reaction to this is not what Edward expects, she is fine with putting herself in danger because she is totally and utterly in love with him. In this book we are also introduced to Jacob and his father. We don't find out exactly what they are until the next book in the series, but they are introduced all the same. I really really really enjoyed this book. I was a little bit aphrensive about reading it, as some people say its like marmite, you either love it or you hate it, but I am please to say that I loved it. its not a book that is a huge work of literary fiction, but it is a great romance and young adult book. I liked how many twists and turns there were to this book, although I knew what was going to happen as I had seen the film before I kind of forgot parts of it and was surprised again. I really enjoyed the baseball scene as that is where we are introduced to James and this is where the story really starts to get exciting. I am definitaly going to read more in the series and I would recommend this book to anyone that hasnt yet read it. You never know you might love it, just like I did! Rating - 5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Welcome to the Twilight world Laura! Are you going to read the others now?? :) And The Host? I think I may have enjoyed that even more than Twilight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted May 24, 2012 Author Share Posted May 24, 2012 Welcome to the Twilight world Laura! Are you going to read the others now?? :) And The Host? I think I may have enjoyed that even more than Twilight! Thanks, I am offically hooked on it now! I've just ordered New Moon so I can continue with the story. I've already got The Host on my shelf so I can't wait to see how that compares Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted May 29, 2012 Author Share Posted May 29, 2012 Ellie Foster's English Coursework - Tina Orr Munro Started - 6/5/12 Finished - 23/5/12 Format - Kindle e-book Synopsis - Ellie Foster's family holiday isn't going well. Firstly, she's not even with her family. Ok her mum's there, but that's it. Maybe the love child is related to her in some way but definitely not Trevor, her mums hippy boyfriend, or his other kids, maniac twins Sky and Blue. Secondly, she needs to find a boyfriend on this trip or risk being labelled a loser and having to spend the rest of her school life with yellow teethed Lucy Telling as her only friend. Worst of all, she's got to record the whole disaster in a diary and submit it as coursework or risk failing her English GCSE! Before she knows it she s making a fool of herself in front of a Greek God, batting off an annoying nerd, hiding from her crazy Gran, getting Trevor arrested, and dealing with the return-of-the-father. It's a wonder she has time to write down anything at all... My Thoughts - I downloaded this book back in January as it was free for a day on the kindle. The idea of the book really appealed to me, as did the cover. This book is written in diary form, which for me is a format that really appeals to me. Ellie Foster needs to keep a diary for her holidays otherwise she will fail her GCSE English Coursework, and this is how this book is introduced. Ellie and her extended family, her mum, step-dad, his twin children and her half sibling (or the love child) go on holiday to Greece. Ellie doesnt get on with her step-dad or step siblings deep down their is some resentment towards them for having to share her mum with them. She also isnt too much of a fan of 'the love child', I really wanted to know if the baby was a boy or a girl! Just something that bugged me through the book. Ellie wants to go to Greece and find a Greek god and finally 'do it!' as she thinks she is the only person at school that has not yet 'done it.' Her best friend fills her head with all different stories and she feels a little under pressure to keep up with the crowd and fit in. This book is a brilliant childrens/young adult book. I would say its more of a pre-teen book however, I am well out of being a pre-teen and I really enjoyed the book. It was very funny in places, and had me laughing out loud, but at the same time it had some serious messages behind it. Like, the greek man she finds is not all he seems, and she gets in quite a difficult spot with him. Luckily she gets out of it unscathed, but its a good book to point out to teenage girls that somethings are not all they seem. What I liked most about this book is that it deals with issues that are current with teenage girls. For example, fitting in with there peers, and always wanting to be with the in crowd was good. Although it was a work of fiction, it could quite easily have happened to a number of teenage girls. This is a very good book, very highly recommended and ive had a look on the authors website on Amazon and she is writing a sequel to this book, I can hardly wait! Rating - 4.5/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted May 30, 2012 Author Share Posted May 30, 2012 Shades of Grey - Michael Cargill Started - 23/5/12 Finished - 30/5/12 Format - Kindle e-book Synopsis - John is not a very nice man. He works for the government. So who has tied him to a chair and what do they want? James is a British soldier during WWII. Tom is a young boy with a terrible secret. Three stories. Three very different people. All of them battling to survive. My Thoughts - I won this book in a givaway from the lovely Becky at her blog a few weeks back. Now before I start I'm just going to state that this is not a book like the one that has a very simular name. This book is a collection of three short stories, and as the synopsis above states, the main theme through the book is survival. I did think that it was war to start with, but the last story really didnt fit the theme. The first book in the collection was Shades of Grey. This is about a man called Jack, who we find tied to a chair. His thoughts go from the present, being surrounded by people with sniper rifles, and going back to the past where he found his wife in bed with his neighbour. I liked how these two halfs of the story fitted together and it really worked for me. The second book in the collection was There and Back Again, I just couldnt get The Hobbit referance out of my head all through this story! However in my opinion this was the best story out of the three. This is about James, a foot-soldier during the first world war in France in the trenches. In this he faces his first battle and kills a man for the first time. I liked the emotion behind it and how he still had time to write home to his mum and dad back in England. The final book in the collection was Down the Rabbit Hole, the title for me reminded me of Alice in Wonderland a little bit. This book is about a little boy called Tom who has a toy rabbit called Borger. He gets abused by his father and is unhappy. Now the bunny starts to talk to him and gets him to do quite horrible things if I'm honest. I didnt like this story at all, I'm not a fan of horror books and for me this is exactly what it was. I am a little uncomfortable to read about a little boy doing all those horrible things. Now the book as a whole. I enjoyed this book, but to be honest it isnt one of my favourites. I liked the first two stories, but the third for me really put me off. I also thought that it was very gorey in places, which for me at least does put me off a little. I would recommend this book for people that like crime/thriller/horror books, but for me the last story didnt hook me in as the others did. Rating - 3/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Yay Laura welcome to the Twilight club!!!!! Isn't it just totes amazing arrrgghhh!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 Yay Laura welcome to the Twilight club!!!!! Isn't it just totes amazing arrrgghhh!!! I really enjoyed it, I was actually surprised at how much I did like it. I still don't understand the whole Team Jacob or Team Edward thing though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 (edited) I added a couple more books from your latest reviews, to my lists of books to check out! flicker of light and apocalypse cow Edited May 31, 2012 by Devi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 I added a couple more books from your latest reviews, to my lists of books to check out! flicker of light and apocalypse cow Yay they are both really good books but Apocalypse Cow really stood out for me. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 I really enjoyed it, I was actually surprised at how much I did like it. I still don't understand the whole Team Jacob or Team Edward thing though! Read on and you'll find out I had no idea you'd never read the books, I've figured all the people who would read those kinds of books must have already read them and the others will never touch the books It's going to be a lot of fun seeing how you like the rest of the novels. Mind you, I've only read the first two, should get around to reading all of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Read on and you'll find out I had no idea you'd never read the books, I've figured all the people who would read those kinds of books must have already read them and the others will never touch the books It's going to be a lot of fun seeing how you like the rest of the novels. Mind you, I've only read the first two, should get around to reading all of them! Definitely! I swung between the two teams frequently but by the end of the last book it all made sense! New Moon was my least favourite of the books, Eclipse, (No 3), was by far my favourite.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted June 2, 2012 Share Posted June 2, 2012 I guess after just the first book, the Team Edward/Team Jacob hullaballoo doesn't make much sense, but after you read New Moon, it should start to become clear Laura. Like chaliepud, my least favourite of the books is New Moon and Eclipse is my favourite, but after watching the first film, I'm firmly in Team ... Charlie! Billy Burke is fantastic and made me laugh Hope you enjoy the rest of the series! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 Read on and you'll find out I had no idea you'd never read the books, I've figured all the people who would read those kinds of books must have already read them and the others will never touch the books It's going to be a lot of fun seeing how you like the rest of the novels. Mind you, I've only read the first two, should get around to reading all of them! They do seem like very 'Laura' books but I was so put off by all the hype, but I'm now thinking that the hype was well deserved! I've just brought the second in the series and I'll see how I get on with that one! Definitely! I swung between the two teams frequently but by the end of the last book it all made sense! New Moon was my least favourite of the books, Eclipse, (No 3), was by far my favourite.. I hope it does lol. I do already have eclipse as I thought it was the second book but it wasnt! I just don't want to read them out of sequence! I guess after just the first book, the Team Edward/Team Jacob hullaballoo doesn't make much sense, but after you read New Moon, it should start to become clear Laura. Like chaliepud, my least favourite of the books is New Moon and Eclipse is my favourite, but after watching the first film, I'm firmly in Team ... Charlie! Billy Burke is fantastic and made me laugh Hope you enjoy the rest of the series! Ah okay then. Jacob wasnt in the first book all that much so I guess thats why I found it a little confusing at times! I watched another film wirh Billy Burke in over the weekend actually, Drive Angry and he was really good in that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaliepud Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I hope it does lol. I do already have eclipse as I thought it was the second book but it wasnt! I just don't want to read them out of sequence! Yes, you definitely need to read them in sequence or they won't make any sense at all...... Personally I'm Team Emmett x x x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted June 4, 2012 Author Share Posted June 4, 2012 Yes, you definitely need to read them in sequence or they won't make any sense at all...... Personally I'm Team Emmett x x x I can't read any series out of sequnce even if they arent follow on if that makes sense, just because I'm like that hehe! a couple of people have mentioned Emmett will have to add him into the mix now! xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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